Even if you share my reservations on stories told in first person, what Jeannette Ng has crafted here is excellent and well worth reading.

The narrative leans far more heavily on Christian theology than I'd imagined it would, which probably says more about the limits of my imagination than of the author's skill, since it says right on the cover that it is indeed a story about missionaries!
I had assumed it would deal more with Arcadia, rather than the faith of the missionaries visiting there, but as with all fairy-tales, the true story lies in the magical world's impact upon us, rather than our impact on it. Like a true gothic novel of the period, it also dwells far more on the existential crises of the characters than in any visceral action of the fae. I can understand why the back cover might shy away from those particular disclosures, because in the abstract that probably sounds boring, but in the actual expression of those ideas, it certainly isn't.

Under the Pendulum Sun feels like the previously undiscovered work of some Bronte sister that had stumbled onto a story with surprisingly modern pacing. It feels strangely undated to read, fitting neatly as neither an actual gothic novel, nor as one for our own period, but I felt that gave the narrator a special realism: we saw the story entirely through her eyes, and so the story was presented as she might have seen it, alien to both Victorian and modern readers alike.

Under the Pendulum Sun is the story of sinners, pressed into a world where maybe those sins don't count the same way, among creatures who may or may not even have souls to save. It's far more about their own less-than-savory failings than it is the mysteries of the fae, even as those mysteries surround them. It's a surprisingly spiritual story, which greatly lends to its period authenticity. Still, the mysteries of the fae swirl all around, often literally, just beyond the walls of the castle where most of the action is set. The mysterious wonders of the fae sparkle, from their clockwork sun, to the hidden delights of the goblin-market, to the majestic uniqueness of the land-bound "sea whale".

The world glimpsed here is unique, and the story is satisfyingly self-contained while still leaving the reader to consider marvels of the fae that spill beyond the pages presented. It's a very satisfying read, and while not of the faith myself, I imagine that the theological musings presented would add yet another dimension for those who are. I greatly enjoyed the book and will look forward to the author's next.